While researching energy-efficient library design, a student has compiled the following notes:
- Eastgate Branch Library was renovated in 2014.
- During the renovation, fixed exterior louvers were installed to block direct summer sunlight and reduce solar heat indoors.
- The louvers require no electricity and little maintenance.
- Harbor Branch Library was renovated in 2018.
- During that renovation, electrochromic windows were installed; the windows darken when sensors detect intense sunlight, reducing solar heat indoors.
- The sensor-controlled window system requires electricity.
The student wants to emphasize that the two libraries use features for the same purpose but differ in whether those features require electricity. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions, divide the stated goal into its required components and test each option against all of them. Prefer the choice that directly combines the relevant facts, and eliminate choices that substitute chronology, maintenance, or another secondary detail for the requested comparison.
Hints
Break the goal into two parts
Look for a choice that identifies both a shared purpose and a difference involving electricity.
Focus on the relevant features
Compare the fixed exterior louvers with the sensor-controlled windows rather than focusing mainly on renovation dates or maintenance.
Check for completeness
A choice that mentions only the shared purpose or only one feature’s electricity use does not fully accomplish the goal.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the two required ideas
The response must establish that the libraries’ features have the same purpose and contrast the features based on whether they require electricity.
Select the relevant notes
Eastgate’s fixed exterior louvers reduce solar heat and require no electricity. Harbor’s sensor-controlled windows also reduce solar heat, but their system requires electricity.
Evaluate the choices
The best choice directly connects the shared purpose with the key difference: Eastgate’s louvers require no electricity, whereas Harbor’s windows do.
Answer: Although both libraries use features that reduce solar heat indoors, Eastgate’s fixed exterior louvers require no electricity, whereas Harbor’s sensor-controlled darkening windows do.